BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — France's president says the head of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara has been killed.
Emmanuel Macron tweeted that the death of Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi was a major success for French forces in the Sahel.
Adnan Abou Walid al Sahraoui, chef du groupe terroriste État islamique au Grand Sahara a été neutralisé par les forces françaises. Il s’agit d’un nouveau succès majeur dans le combat que nous menons contre les groupes terroristes au Sahel.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) September 15, 2021
The French military has been fighting Islamic extremists in the Sahel region where it was once the colonial power since a 2013 military intervention in northern Mali.
It was not immediately clear where al-Sahrawi was killed, though the Islamic State group is active along the border between Mali and Niger.
It was not immediately possible to independently verify the claim or to know how the remains had been identified.
